By, Maria Girouard
Where is the Love ~ REACH work in Wabanaki communities provides space for learning and reflection. We balance our learning about history and intergenerational trauma with reflecting on the goodness in our communities, practicing tools for resilience, and drawing from community strengths. As Native people, we are recipients of an exorbitant amount of trauma and stress in our lives but we also possess great strengths and acknowledge that the solution to healing lies in our rich culture.
While oftentimes it feels as though there is a great burden to bear under the weight of history, in the wake of Valentine's Day we wanted to show you the love.
When Wabanaki community members are asked to reflect on what they love about their tribal communities, the answers flow freely. Below are just some of the things we love about our tribal communities:
Family
Strength
Connection
"Our willingness to come together to help when needed."
The beauty.
The water.
"We care about each other. We're all Indians."
Resilience
Humor
The People, family, the connection.
Our language.
Friends that are like family.
Our culture and traditions.
Our history and that we are here.
The river and canoeing.
"People are friendly, they are caring, inquisitive and love their community."
Potlucks, socials, and other gatherings.
"What I love about my community is our togetherness. We help each other in so many great ways - socials, teaching each other, being close. Our community is our home and home is where the heart is."
We are truly blessed to be living in the footsteps of our Ancestors, on land that has nourished us for millennia.